xpvc material and heat cable for rack....

[reptile4me]

Through searching this forum I have found several cases where xpvc has been used for building a rack. I am planning on building a rack out of this material and will be using heat cable for heat. I am still trying to figure out the best way to match these two up.

1. Can I router or cut out a section of the xpvc for the heat cable to sit it?

any suggestions.............

 

[robin]

i would use a router to make a groove for the heat cable to st in but so not cut all the way through the material. you do not want exposed heat cable directly against the enclosures. how thick are you thinking of getting the xpvc in?

 

[reptile4me]

thanks for the response- answer to question

to answer the above question, I was thinking of either 1/4 or 1/2 thickness. The rack is going to be small as I am just starting out in the leopard gecko keeping hobby.

When you say that you don't want the cable directly touching the tubs, is this for safety precaution?

I have posted previously on the forums and the one thing that is continually holding me back is the fear of a fire. I know that many times people have stated that with 90 degree temps that this should not be an issue. However, I have read many threads where people have had malfunctions and burnt tubs or burnt the insulation off of the heating materials. This is concerning and continues to make me proceed with caution.

At this point, although I know it is very expensive to go about this way I am considering
1. using a radiant heat panel, but I don't know if this would provide the correct heat
or
2. just simply housing individual geckos in glass tanks with uth because I would think this would lower the risk of fire due to the glass rather than wood or pvc.

 

[robin]

you would have to use 1/2 xpvc, 1/4 is too thin. the reason why you do not want to have the heat cable exposed to the tubs is in for safety in case it overheats and melts the tub. for safety it is highly recommended you use a good thermostat versus a rheostat or dimmer switch. the lowest melting point for XPVC is 212F, that is not even the flame point. i think it is safe to say the the XPVC is is very safe and is not going to melt or burn on you. i use AP racks which are made of the same thing and i use heat cable. i have not had one overheating issue or fire issue. other than that make sure your wiring is insulated and wired correctly.